CHAPTER 7

I drifted in and out of awareness for the next 24 hours or so. Trucy took Vera her roses on day nine and day ten and on day eleven I resumed my duty of trying to convince Vera that her place was back home.

Meanwhile, Trucy and I had a case and we were searching a packrat's apartment for clues in hopes of finding a motive for why he would have gotten clubbed in the head with a bowling trophy. Ema was helping us out. As usual she was playing the part of double agent for us sneaking us information that Klavier would have probably rather us not know.

"Scientifically speaking your client is screwed, Apollo. His fingerprints are on the trophy."

"Just because they're there doesn't mean he's the one who whacked Left E. Lone in the head with it." I explained to her, but inside I agreed. This was not looking good for my client. It also wasn't looking good for me getting over to Sunny River because the victim's apartment had so much junk for us to comb through.

"Polly, if you were going to kill someone and you had a choice of a samurai sword on the wall, a knife from the kitchen, this antique pistol, or that really heavy bronze statue over there why would you reach for the bowling trophy? The thing doesn't even look like it'd be able to kill somebody." Truce said this in a way that made it sound like any item not capable of inflicting a mortal wound was inferior and unworthy of ownership.

I shrugged. "Keep investigating. There's gotta be something here."

Ema chuckled. "I think MUNCH MUNCH the problem is not MUNCH MUNCH finding something here as much as there is just MUNCH MUNCH too much stuff here. It kind of reminds me of MUNCH MUNCH your guy's office."

"Hey, we've been clearing that stuff out and if I get Vera to commit as to whether she still wants me living with her or not then I'm sure Trucy can cram some of that stuff into my old room."

"Assuming Vera MUNCH MUNCH wants you living with her MUNCH MUNCH and assuming she actually checks herself MUNCH MUNCH out of Sunny River."

"Ema, do you have to eat those god damn things all the time? Trucy and I are trying to work!" I groused at her.

"Ah, hit a nerve did I? Sorry. I know you're upset about her not being willing to see you. You probably just need to give her space."

Funny, that advice could go for you right now, Ema.

"But, I am glad MUNCH MUNCH that we're talking about Vera, because I wanted to tell you that we'll be storing one copy of the surveillance tapes form her abduction, but all the others are going to be destroyed. I'm going to see to it myself. MUNCH MUNCH. I thought you and Vera would want to know."

I looked over at Ema and tripped on a pile of magazines sending them cascading across the floor.

"Ugh! Apollo, don't mess up my crime scene." She whined at me.

"Oops! Sorry! How did this guy walk through his apartment?"

Ema shrugged. "I have no scientific proof he did."

But, then I remembered what I was going to ask her. "Ema, would you be ok with Vera destroying the discs herself? I think it might be a good release for her."

Ema smiled. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

Back at the courthouse Ema joined Trucy and I for lunch, which meant that Klavier came and bugged us. I knew that Klavier had an excuse to hover around Ema because he was her boss, but lately I'd been getting a vibe like he was hitting on her or they were flirting with one another. As if Ema weren't annoying enough having him hanging out with us was obnoxious.

"Herr Forehead, is this seat taken?"

"No." I grunted.

Don't get me wrong, Klavier isn't a bad guy, but he's one of those people who is your friend yet you never really picked them to be your friend like a cousin or something. I was stuck with him because we worked on so many of the same cases and everybody needs a rival. At least I kick his butt in court a lot so it's ok. I just wonder if he would croak if he actually called me by my name. He could even call me Polly, I mean almost all the girls call me that now, though it might be weird to have a guy call me that…

"Hello, Frauleins and you." That was his welcome of me. I was a guy so he didn't need to butter me up apparently.

"Ema, I got your request for another bottle of Luminol and I don't understand how you could have used that last bottle I bought you already."

Ema groaned. "Ugh! It's lunchtime. Have the courtesy to not bother me with work stuff right now. Don't you know lunch is time for talking about other stuff like…" Ema seemed to not be able to think of an example of a non-work related topic. This didn't surprise me in the least.

"Like movies and current events and cute boys." Trucy supplied.

I rolled my eyes. I needed to get Phoenix down to the courthouse with me more. I was getting way too much girl time and I was in desperate need of a guy to hang out with and Klavier did not qualify.

"Well…" Klavier seemed to contemplate this and then smirked in self-satisfaction. "Watch the master, Fraulien and you will see me include all those things in one sentence. Ema, Last Night's Nightmare is getting excellent reviews would you go see it with me tonight?"

Truce and I stopped chewing our food midbite and turned all our attention to Ema.

Ema was blushing from the sudden attention but rolling her eyes. "I guess," she said trying to appear disinterested and failing. It was obvious to me she wasn't looking him in the eyes because she didn't want to appear excited. "I'm not doing anything else, but only if we go on your motorcycle and not one of your gaudy cars."

"That can be arranged." He said leaning over her shoulder invading her personal space in a very sensual way. Like he was some kind of fox and she was the prey.

I felt a little sick. This was unnatural. Those two should not be dating. No way.

Klavier drank in her expression and then abruptly turned to me. "Speaking of love, how is Vera doing?"

I groaned. I wasn't too proud to admit the truth. "I don't really know. She'll only see Phoenix, but I go everyday in hopes she'll change her mind. I think if I could just talk to her I could convince her to come home, but…"

"I'm sorry to hear that, Herr Forehead. I'm sure Vera is simply confused. She's been through so much, but Dr. Jonas is a good guy I'm sure he can help coax her from her self-imposed isolation."

"How do you know Dr. Jonas? He your doctor?"

Klavier chuckled like one who thinks they are above therapy. "No, he's an old family friend."

I sighed. I had much less faith in Vera's therapist than Klavier did. I wondered if that made me a bad person. I also wondered if the fact I was wildly jealous of Klavier's proximity to Ema also meant there was something wrong with me. I wasn't attracted to Ema I was just jealous of anybody who looked romantically involved. I missed Vera so much. I hadn't spoken to her or seen her in nearly two weeks yet every night I slept in her bed surrounded by walls plastered with her art and every morning her half finished paintings sitting on the easels in mocked me in the corner.

Klavier's eyes met mine and for the first time I felt like under that ego he had a real humanity about him. "I'm sure it'll work out, Apollo."

I smiled at him gratefully and excused myself from the table to go have a private moment. I had some hard choices to make.